Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the Moon, is calling on the United States to turn its focus to landing humans on another celestial body: Mars.

In an opinion piece for The Washington Post, the 89-year-old Aldrin praised the Trump administration's goal of returning to the Moon in the coming years. But he said that should be a stepping stone to exploring the red planet with "living, breathing, walking, talking, caring and daring men and women."

"To make that happen, members of Congress, the Trump administration and the American public must care enough to make human exploration missions to Mars a national priority," Aldrin wrote. "To be clear, I do not mean spending billions of taxpayer dollars on a few hijinks or joy rides, allowing those who return to write books, tweet photos, and talk of the novelty. I mean something very different."

Aldrin added, "The next step would build on our early lunar landings and establish permanent settlements on the moon. In the meantime, preparations for permanent migration to the red planet can be made. All of this is within reach for humans alive now, but it starts with a unified next step in space. The nation best poised to make it happen is the United States."

Aldrin stepped onto the lunar surface July 21, 1969, just minutes after Neil Armstrong did so. The pair spent less than two hours exploring the dusty landscape before climbing back into the lander.

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